Jacqueline Monahan

This year flew by as swiftly as a pop-up facial tissue leaves its box before another is pulled. In that interim, I’ve seen an array of films, good and bad, but certainly not all of them. Listed below is a selection of ten of the best the year had to offer, in no particular order, except perhaps the first one. That deserves to be in the Number One spot. –JM

1. American Hustle Polyester flim-flam at its finest.2. 12 Years a Slave Ferociously fierce and first-hand.3. Dallas Buyers Club No prescription necessary.4. August: Osage County Mommy Dearest à la Streep.5. The Book Thief Literacy trumps Luftwaffe.6. Captain Phillips Don’t mess with the Maersk!7. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom From prisoner to president in one lifetime.8. Philomena Blood is thicker than doctrine.9. Fruitvale Station The whole world WAS watching.10. Nebraska One man’s worth in deeds, not dollars.

Plus, JM’s SF/Fantasy Shout-Out

Whether we left the world or just messed it up, the future looks fascinating through these “forward” films:

1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire A brilliant brew of bravery and rebellion.

2. Her REAL online dating, relying ONLY on the lines. "Is that an OS in your pocket or are you just happy to see me.

3. Ender’s Game And a little child shall lead them – to annihilation.

4. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug Fire and water and Dwarves, oh, my! The Hobbit is habit forming.

5. Star Trek Into Darkness Mission accomplished – again.

A note about Gravity: Great visuals, weak protagonist. See it to feast your eyes, but certainly NOT your mind.